Adjustable squeegee for applying synthetic fillers

ABSTRACT

An adjustable squeegee for applying a synthetic filling material, commonly termed &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;body putty&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; or &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;body plastic,&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; to the damaged surfaces of automobile bodies or the like. The squeegee comprises a pliable lower blade portion, and a ductile upper stiffener portion, which can be manually bent into a particular form or shape which it is desired to have the filling material take in the squeegeeing operation. The squeegee will remain in this form until it is manually rebent into a normal form or into a different form for the performance of another squeegeeing operation. The main body of the squeegee is composed of a material to which the filling material will not adhere.

United States Patent Akers [54] ADJUSTABLE SQUEEGEE FOR APPLYINGSYNTHETIC FILLERS [72] Inventor: George J. Akers, Louisville, Ky.

15/143,144,10s,2'11,235.3,210,121, Dig. 36; 30/169; 114/224; 49/475,480, 482; 491/139, 9 261, 191

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 351,798 11/1886 Robinson15/211 2,666,323 1/1954 Ames ..18/3.5 2,878,504 3/1959 Godfrey.....15/210 2,968,057 1/1961 Pratt ..15/236 R 1 1 July 18,1972

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 445,487 4/1936 Great Britain ..49/475887,!21 l/l962 GreatBritain ..l8/3.5

Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Johnson, Dienner, Emn'ch,Verbeck & Wagner [57] ABSTRACT An adjustable squeegee for applying asynthetic filling material, commonly termed body putty" or bodyplastic," to the damaged surfaces of automobile bodies or the like. Thesqueegee comprises a pliable lower blade portion, and a ductile upperstifiener portion, which can be manually bent into a particular form orshape which it is desired to have the filling material take in thesqueegeeing operation. The squeegee will remain in this form until it ismanually rebent into a normal form or into a different form for theperformance of another squeegeeing operation. The main body of thesqueegee is composed of a material to which the filling material willnot adhere.

6 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures Patented July 18, 1972 3 Sheets-Shet 1 .272 2/6/2257 966596 f A @2215 W %ZZz s.

Patented July 18, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ADJUSTABLE SQUEEGEE FOR APPLYINGSYNTHETIC FILLERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesto an adjustable squeegee for applying and forming a synthetic filler,or so-called body putty or body plastic", to the damaged surfaces ofautomobile bodies; or to other surfaces which it is desired to fill witha filling material to bring them to a desired contour or profile.

In the repair of damaged automobile bodies, the general practice is toapply a synthetic filler, or so-called body putty or body plastic, tofill body dents, holes, tears or the like, by applying such material ina plastic moldable state, and generally in an excess quantity, and thento promptly cut off the excess material with a rasping plane, file orthe like, before the material has had time to set.

Time is a factor in these filling operations because these syntheticfillers generally include a hardening catalyst which hardens the fillerin a relatively short time. By reducing or eliminating the amount oftime devoted to the hand filing of the synthetic filler after it hasbeen squeegeed into or on the work surface by my improved adjustablesqueegee, it is possible to reduce the amount of time involved in theover-all operation by at least 25 percent or more. Furthermore, it isnot necessary to have the variety of files heretofore required.

In many instances, the damaged area to be repaired may originally havehad an exterior surface which was outwardly curved, or was inwardlyrecessed, or was otherwise irregularly formed. I-Ieretofore, thesesituations presented difficulties in getting the synthetic filleraccurately shaped to conform to the curvature of the original surface,frequently resulting in patched areas which did not have the matchingcurvature or shape of contiguous areas. It also frequently resulted in arepaired surface on one side of the automobile body which did not matchthe curvature or shape of the corresponding undamaged surface on theother side of the body.

. The primary object of the present invention is to provide anadjustable squeegee which can be manually bent or shaped to assume anydesired curvature or form, which bent shape will remain until thesqueegee is manually rebent into another form. This enables the squeegeeto shape the fill into any desired concave, convex or other curvature orshape, and also enables it to scrape off the excess material, whileretaining this original form. Also, when the material is applied insuccessive layers, the squeegee can be successively rebent toaccommodate these different layers, Furthermore, where the damaged areais in one of the side fenders, or in one of the side surfaces of thebody, my improved squeegee may be presented to the undamagedcorresponding area on the opposite fender or opposite side surfaces ofthe body, where it is then manually bent or shaped to assume the truecurvature or form at this undamaged side. Thereupon, the squeegee istransferred to the damaged side, generally in a reversed relation, whereit is then used to shape the body putty to conform to the true shape ofthe undamaged side.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an adjustablesqueegee which includes a lower blade or skirt portion comprising arelatively pliable material, such as polyethylene or Teflon(polytetrafluoroethylene), for engaging the synthetic filler for shapingit, and also for removing any excess quantity of it; and which squeegeealso includes an upper stiffener portion comprising a stifier ductilematerial,

such as lead, zinc or the like, which can be readily bent or shapedmanually to any desired form or curvature which it is desired to impartto the lower edge of the blade or skirt portion, and which will retainsuch form or curvature in the shap ing of the synthetic filler.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a squeegee which iscomposed mainly of a material to which the synthetic filler will notadhere, such as the aforesaid polyethylene or Teflon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved manner ofassociating an upper stiffening bar with the upper portion of the lowerpliable blade portion.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of certain preferredembodiments thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of oneembodiment of the improved squeegee;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of this same embodiment with an intermediateportion broken away to show the upper ductile stiffening bar, and alsoshowing the end caps separated from the passageway which receives thisbar;

FIG. 3 is an end view of this embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. I, of a second embodiment of squeegee;

FIG. 5 is a view of this second embodiment similar to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view of the second embodiment similar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of still another embodiment in which theupper edge of the blade sets in a slot in the lower edge of thestifiening bar;

FIG. 8 shows the latter embodiment bent into a simple curve;

FIG. 9 shows this latter embodiment bent into a compound curve; and

FIGS. 10 15 show difierent sectional forms of the slotted stiffeningbar.

Referring first to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, thiscomprises a squeegee 20, preferably composed of a pliable plasticmaterial, made preferably but not necessarily, by an extrusion process.This pliable material is preferably polyethylene or Teflon(polytetrafluoroethylene), of relatively pliable consistency, and towhich the synthetic filler or body putty will not adhere.

The squeegee 20 is formed to define a lower relatively flat pliableblade portion 22, and an upper stiffening back portion 24 of ellipticalcross-section, both integral parts of the squeegee 20. The pliable bladeportion edge 22 is shown as being of rectangular outline, having a loweredge 26 which is preferably of V-bevel shape, so that the squeegee issymmetrical for pulling or pushing the synthetic filler in eitherdirection. However, this lower edge 26 may be formed with a single bevelif desired. From this lower edge 26 the blade portion 22 tapersoutwardly in thickness up to the upper stiffening back portion, orstiffener, 24.

This back portion 24 has an interior cavity preferably in the form of arectangular, square or other non-circular passageway 28 extendingtherethrough. Inserted into this cavity or passageway is a formedductile insert member 30 of corresponding cross section for stiffeningthe upper edge of the blade portion 22. This insert member is composedof a relatively stiff material consistency, preferably of a ductilemetal such as lead or zinc, although other ductile materials may beemployed if desired. After the stifi'ening bar 30 has been inserted intothe passageway 28, the ends of the latter can be closed by the insertionof closure caps 34, also preferably made of plastic, which can besecured in place by cement, a tight pressed fit or in any other suitablemanner. The insert bar 30 is sufficiently pliable or ductile that it maybe readily bent by the hands into any desired form or shape, but it isstill sufficiently stiff so that it will remain in this form or shapedespite the stresses imposed thereon during the squeegeeing operation.The bar will remain in this shape until it is manually reshaped backinto a normal form, or into a different form for performing a difierentsqueegeeing operation. In most instances the shaping is done by bendingthe stiffening bar 30, or the ends thereof, upwardly or downwardlysubstantially in the general plane of the blade portion 22. This resultsin the squeegeeing edge 26 of the blade taking on the particular profileshape or contour which it is desired that the synthetic filler shallhave, the blade pressing the filler material into this contour andpushing excess material ahead of it. The end sections of the stiffeningback portion function as handles for both hands in the usual two-handedoperation. However, a

one-handed operation can abo be performed, particularly with the shorterlengths of squee Typical lengths would be 8, l2, l6 and 20 inches. Thesynthetic fillers generally have the approximate consistency of peanutbutter, and hence do not set up any very large resistance forces againstthe squeegeeing operation.

Referring now to the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 6, thesqueegee 20a is also of a pliable plastic material, but in this instanceis preferably in the form of a cast plastic. The blade portion 22a isthe same as in the preceding embodiment, but the stiffening back portion240 is preferably of rectangular cross-section, instead of elliptical.Formed in this back portion 24a is a lengthwise cavity 280, forreceiving the stiffening bar 30a, both preferably but not necessarilybeing of circular cross section. The bar 30a, also composed of lead orzinc, is inserted into the cavity 28a through the side entrance opening38 extending from one of the side surfaces of the back portion 24a intothe cavity 28a. This side entrance opening 38 is thereafter covered by aside cover strip or seal 40, also preferably of plastic suitably securedover the opening, as by cementing, heat sealing, or providing a snap-onconstruction.

Referring now to the third embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7-15, in thisembodiment the stifiening bar is in the form of a ductile metallic strip30b, composed of the aforesaid lead, zinc or other ductile material.This strip is formed with a longitudinal slot 44 therein, which fitsdown over the upper free edge of the pliable blade strip 22b, which aspreviously described,

- may be composed of extruded or cast polyethylene, Teflon or the like.The downwardly extending side flanges 46 of the stiffening edge strip30b may be cemented to the pliable blade strip 22b, or they may besecured by transverse rivets, bolts, staples or the like, indicated at48. The body portion of the stiffening strip 3012 may have differentsectional forms; such as the almost complete circular form shown in FIG.10; the fractional circular form shown in FIG. 11; the oval form shownin FIG. 12 the diamond shaped form shown in FIG. 13; the square formshown in FIG. 14; and the inverted U-shaped form shown in FIG. 15. Itwill be noted that each of the above sectional forms has the twodepending side flanges, such as the flanges 46 of FIG. 7, that can besecured to the upper edge of the pliable blade portion 22b by cementing,or by rivets, bolts, or staples 48, as above described.

In FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 l have illustrated the squeegee in three differentoperating conditions; FIG. 7 showing it straight; FIG. 8 showing itconformed to a simple curve; and FIG. 9 showing it conformed to acompound curve. This compound curve of FIG. 9 may be regarded asconforming to the curvature of a portion of an automobile fender F, asviewed in profile from the front or rear, the upper portion of theautomobile tire under this fender being fragmentarily indicated at T.Each of the first two embodiments above described can also be bent intothese curved shapes.

The squeegeeing according to any of the preceding embodiments may begiven a desired curvature or shape according to different methods. Forexample, one method is to place the squeegee over the damaged area withits ends contacting the body surface at opposite sides of the area, andto then shape the intermediate portion of the squeegee to conform towhat appears to have been the original curvature or shape.

Another method in situations where the damage is confined to one side ofthe automobile body, and the other side has a matching surface areawhich retains the original curvature or shape, is to place the squeegeeover the original curvature or shape on the undamaged side and to bendit to conform thereto. Thereupon the squeegee is transposed to theopposite or damaged side of the body, being generally reversed fore andaft in such transposition, and is drawn over this damaged surface toshape the filler to the original curvature or shape. The reversal may bedesirable where the shaping involves a curve which is not identical orsymmetrical with respect to its inner and outer, or its right and leftends at opposite sides of the car. This reversal is accommodated becausethe opposite srdes of the squeegee are symmetrical or identically thesame,

insofar as squeegeeing the filler is concerned, as represented by thereversible V-shaped form of the pliable blade edge 26.

Still another method is to estimate the curvature or shape without anycontact, between the squeegee and the body or work surface and to thenbend the squeegee to this estimated curvature. In situations where thedepth of the indentation, hole or damaged area is such that the fillingshould be done by progressively applying successive layers of fillingmaterial, rather than by one deep fill, such operation can beaccommodated by progressively shaping the squeegee to accommodate theprogressive build-up of the fill. In filling these deep dents or holesthe fill or body putty is put on in thin layers and allowed to set upbetween layers, thus giving consideration to shrinkage, and establishinga final surface that may be smoothed out by the squeegee, and which mayor may not be filed to conform to the original surface.

The utility of my improved squeegee is not limited to the application offilling material to damaged surfaces, but can be extended to theapplication of filling material to depressions, holes or the like indifferent surface areas of original structures or assemblies such asfilet areas, joint areas, etc.

I claim:

1. An adjustable squeegee for applying and shaping a synthetic fller toa work surface comprising a blade of pliable plastic material to whichthe synthetic filler does not adhere, said blade having a back portionand an edge opposite said back portion to engage the filler, and astiffener member associated with said back portion comprised of aductile metal which may be readily manually bent in any direction forcausing the edge of the pliable blade to assume a desired contour andrebent in another direction for causing the blade to assume anothercontour, the ductile metal of said stiffener member also having a shaperetention ability such that it retains the edge of the blade in saidbent shape during the squeegeeing operation and until the stiffenermember is manually bent into a different shape.

2. The combination of claim I wherein said stiffener member is comprisedof lead.

3. The combination of claim I wherein said blade has a cavity extendingalong its back portion and said stiffener member comprises a ductilemetallic member disposed in said cavity.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said blade is formed with alongitudinal passageway therein opening from one end of said blade andspaced from and generally parallel to the edge of said blade whichengages the filler, and said stiffener member comprises a ductilemetallic bar inserted into said passageway through said open end.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said open end of the passageway isclosed by an end cap.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the blade is composed ofpolyethylene or polytetrafluoroethylene.

1. An adjustable squeegee for applying and shaping a synthetic filler toa work surface comprising a blade of pliable plastic material to whichthe synthetic filler does not adhere, said blade having a back portionand an edge opposite said back portion to engage the filler, and astiffener member associated with said back portion comprised of aductile metal which may be readily manually bent in any direction forcausing the edge of the pliable blade to assume a desired contour andrebent in another direction for causing the blade to assume anothercontour, the ductile metal of said stiffener member also having a shaperetention ability such that it retains the edge of The blade in saidbent shape during the squeegeeing operation and until the stiffenermember is manually bent into a different shape.
 2. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein said stiffener member is comprised of lead.
 3. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein said blade has a cavity extending alongits back portion , and said stiffener member comprises a ductilemetallic member disposed in said cavity.
 4. The combination of claim 1wherein said blade is formed with a longitudinal passageway thereinopening from one end of said blade and spaced from and generallyparallel to the edge of said blade which engages the filler, and saidstiffener member comprises a ductile metallic bar inserted into saidpassageway through said open end.
 5. The combination of claim 4 whereinsaid open end of the passageway is closed by an end cap.
 6. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein the blade is composed of polyethylene orpolytetrafluoroethylene.